DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group I, species V, claims 1-12, in the reply filed on May 20, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 13-20 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species/invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on May 20, 2026.
Claims 6, 7 and 9 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species. There is no support in the elected embodiment of Figs. 4A and 4B for the claim limitations of “the absorbing layer is patterned to approximate a shape of the electronic component”, as recited in claim 6; “a bottom surface of the substrate includes an anti-reflective coating”, as recited in claim 7; and “insulating walls formed over the lateral insulating layer, wherein the insulating walls create a cell that laterally surrounds the absorbing layer”, as recited in claim 9, and these features are found on unelected embodiment of Figs. 1C (2A or 2B), 1B and 2B (or 2C), respectively.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted February 5, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters “113”, “115” and “117” have been used to designate “intermediate layer”; reference characters “181” and “183” have both been used to designate “cell”. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: “101” and “209”. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
i) Undefined acronyms/symbols, such as “SIMOX” and “SOI” (first occurrence: [0024], line 7); and “LED” (first occurrence: [0025], line 10). The examiner suggests that applicant spell out all the acronyms/symbols when using them for the first time in the disclosure.
ii) The number and unit are together (i.e. "20wt"). The examiner suggests that applicant insert a space between "number" and "unit".
Claim Objections
Claims 1-5, 8 and 10-12 are objected to because of the following informalities: a comma should be inserter after “assembly” (claim 1, line 2). Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5, 8, 10 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yu et al. (2021/0091056).
As for claim 1, Yu et al. show in Fig. 9 and related text an electronic assembly 100 comprising:
a substrate 102C/110;
an absorbing layer 106A embedded in the substrate ([0030]);
a landing pad (lowermost one of) 114 formed on a top surface of the substrate; and
an electronic component 124 bonded to the landing pad by a bonding layer 116;
wherein the absorbing layer is located below the electronic component and absorbs a particular wavelength to a greater extent than the substrate.
As for claim 2, Yu et al. show the substrate comprises silicon ([0028]).
As for claim 3, Yu et al. show the absorbing layer comprises silicon germanium ([0031]).
As for claim 4, Yu et al. show the bonding layer comprises an electrically conductive material ([0039]).
As for claim 5, Yu et al. show the absorbing layer is continuous (Fig. 9).
As for claims 8 and 12, Yu et al. show a lateral insulating layer 102B located below the absorbing layer (Fig. 9).
As for claim 10, Yu et al. show the substrate includes a waveguide 104 and a buried oxide layer 102B, the waveguide being located over the buried oxide layer (Fig. 9).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al. (2021/0091056) in view of Ebiko et al. (2025/0237763).
Yu et al. disclosed substantially the entire claimed invention, as applied to claim 10 above, except the substrate is structured so that a light path of the electronic component aligns with the waveguide.
Ebiko et al. teach in Fig. 25 and related text the substrate 200A is structured so that a light path L of the electronic component 280 aligns with the waveguide WG1 ([0192]).
Yu et al. and Ebiko et al. are analogous art because they are directed to a electronic assembly and one of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success to modify Yu et al. with the specified feature(s) of Ebiko et al. because they are from the same field of endeavor.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the substrate being structured so that a light path of the electronic component aligning with the waveguide, as taught by Ebiko et al., in Yu et al.'s device, in order to receive a light signal from the electronic component.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MEIYA LI whose telephone number is (571)270-1572. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7AM-3PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, LYNNE GURLEY can be reached at (571)272-1670. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MEIYA LI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2811
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